“Nice Cream” with Mango Passion Fruit Puree

I am officially on the “nice cream” bandwagon and am fully convinced of the hype. Nice cream, typically made from pureed frozen bananas, has made a splash all over social media, but it never sounded very appealing to me. I imagined icy bits of fruit – similar to sorbet – and not at all a decent substitution for real ice cream. In fact, I’ve never had a dairy-free ice cream that was good enough to tempt me even slightly….until this one.

Two things make this nice cream great: 1. Eating it immediately after it’s made prevents the ice crystallization that happens in the freezer. It has the texture of creamy soft-serve. 2. Coconut cream adds fat to the equation, which makes the texture and flavor perfect.

The basic recipe is simply frozen bananas and coconut cream – everything else is optional. So, feel free to play around with flavorings. (I have a feeling that many iterations of this dessert have a future on Feast of Green.)

Coconut cream is the thick cream that separates from coconut water in a can of coconut milk. To extract it, place a can of coconut milk in the fridge for a few hours. remove the lid, and scoop out the solidified cream.

1/2 cup frozen mango cubes

~3 tablespoons passion fruit juice (or fruit juice of choice)

3 bananas, frozen, cut into pieces

3 tablespoons coconut cream (see note above)

1/8 teaspoon cinnamon (optional)

1/4 teaspoon salt (optional)

Puree the mango and fruit juice in a blender or food processor until smooth. Set aside.

In a food processor, combine the banana, coconut cream, cinnamon, and salt. Pulse until the banana pieces are miniature, then puree the mixture until completely smooth.

Scoop the nice cream into 2-3 bowls, top with the mango sauce, and serve immediately.

*Nice cream can be saved in the freezer in an airtight container, but it’s much better eaten immediately after making. If you do freeze it, let it sit at room temperature for a few minutes to soften before eating.